In a bid to rid the lyrics of a certain Disney movie from my mind (see my previous post)… I’ve diligently commenced listening to some more preferential musicians:

Cheap Girls
Little Bastard
Issac Graham
The Frontbottoms
Supersuckers
Boysetsfire

I’m on irregular work duties today, so I have the luxury of listening on the commute; however for some reason my awesomely brilliant noise-canceling headphones have decided to stop working in one ear; I am also painfully listening to two university students complain about the size of their campus and how far they have to walk. Seriously, their biggest gripe about life is both having to cross a road and getting into a lift/elevator.

I think I’d prefer Frozen to be blasted!

Note to self: everyone’s struggle is real! Everyone’s struggle is real. Repeat.

“LET IT GO, LET IT GO.  THE COLD NEVER BOTHERED ME ANYWAY”.

Some of you will indeed get my reference above (and I now dare you to remove the lyrics from repeating over and over and over, stuck on a loop through your brain), and some of you will undoubtedly be thinking “what the hell is she on about”? Well, I (sort of) wish i was with you.

Our family just enjoyed a very busy, yet memory making weekend away (ANZAC Day Long Weekend – Lest we forget). We enjoyed some home time (cough cough destroy the living room time); We celebrated a dear friend’s 40th birthday at a dinner sans parenting responsibilities; 3/4’s of us cheered on the Sydney Swans as they outclassed West Coast Eagles at the SCG; we celebrated a little friend’s 4th birthday; we enjoyed some family time in Mudgee with a few singalongs on the trip out and we sampled some of Mudgee’s parks, wine and food with close friends. All in all, the weekend was one of those weekends that really makes you thankful for being alive.

 

 

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The trip to Mudgee was definitely a highlight, and has definitely restocked our depleted wine supplies. What I didn’t bargain for was the complete surprise (wait for it…) I LOVE THE FROZEN soundtrack.

 

Yes, you have read that correctly – the girl that loves her music loud and aggressive; likes her music dark and downright dirty has discovered she also loves tearing into Elsa’s (or is it Ana’s?) Let It Go, Do You Want To Build A Snowman and any of the other songs on the Frozen soundtrack.

 

I definitely did not see my life heading in this direction. Sure, I understand the recent obsession with the music from The Lion King – I watched this movie and listened to the soundtrack approximately one billion times when I was younger. The memories the music conjures are of warmth and summer, so I doubt I’ll ever be sad to revisit that time in my life.

 

I recently watched The Lion King movie with a sick Giggles Magoo (I skipped a couple of the more intense scenes) and have been inundated with requests by him to listen to the soundtrack. In fact,  Hakuna Matata and I Just Can’t Wait To Be King are currently played everyday in Theverymoodyhousehold.

 

What has surprised me completely though is Giggles Magoo’s insistence to also listen to the Frozen soundtrack. He didn’t love the movie,  but his bestie does. After discovering the music in The Lion King, he has been hooked on Frozen’s sound ever since, and maybe it was a musical awakening?

 

On our trip to Mudgee, I discovered that I actually wanted to listen Frozen too, and we did – multiple times. I’m hoping that one day in the future life of Giggles Magoo, he’ll  hear the Frozen music and is reminded of all the lovely times we have goofing off when we sing together – in the same way I may have tortured my parents in listening to The Lion King on repeat.

Initially this blog post was going to focus on the development of our family traditions and the brilliant adventures we get to go on together – getting to any swans game we can; taking the boys to the place we celebrated getting married; sharing adventures with new friends… the weekend just finished was the prefect way to highlight the highs of family life. But, as I sit on the train coming home, my mind is instead filled with Frozen song lyrics and the fun times I had belting them out; the smiles on the boy’s faces; their little belly laughs.

Maybe one day I’ll touch base on those beautiful traditions we seem to have formed, but for the time being I’m off to build a snowman. And I definitely did not see my life heading down this path xx

PS. Confession time. At one stage, for about 2 weeks I was struggling with my let-down reflex after an illness while breastfeeding Little Mate. The only way i could relax enough to allow the let-down occur (and thus feed him) was by singing Let It Go. Weirdly funny, I know.

 

   

  

  

  

  

I’ve realized three things I’ve done in the last week will no doubt pin point me as a stinkin’ hippy (said with all the love and pride in the world).

1. I couldn’t find my olive oil to make dinner. I then remembered it was in my ensuite, as the night before I  had used the oil to remove my make up (if you’re interested, here’s a really credible source why I don’t use make up removal wipes anymore)

2. I made a delicious gumbo and made an even nicer chicken stock out of the bones and veggie scraps. Said stock was used over the weekend in some delicious home cooked meals. 

3. I made a potion for Giggles Magoo to help him stop coughing – ginger, garlic, cinnamon and pepper; boiled together and flavored with honey and lemon juice. I was surprised too, but there was no doubt that it worked and we all got some sleep (and I didn’t need to use any of my depleted sick leave)

These three occurrences, coupled with my obsession for using modern cloth nappies (currently for Little Mate, previously for Giggles Magoo) and the fact I make our cleaning products makes me a bonafide, mountains-dwelling HIPPY.

It’s been a long time coming, but both Grimace and I are increasingly aware of the waste our household generates. Just by having young children, the amount of things you have/”need” is incredible and can be incredibly wasteful… toy is broken, it needs to be chucked. Paper drawn on, it needs to be recycled. Microwave breaks down, we need to buy a new one (which unfortunately includes all that gross polystyrene packaging). I find myself asking if something can be reused instead of directly going to landfill or even the recycling bin – for example, getting Giggles Magoo to paint the polystyrene as an art project before tossing it.

As a result of our loving family, our waste has definitely increased as has the amount of random things we have around the house. And sometimes it irks me no end – so. much. clutter.

I am proud of the small adjustments we’ve made to our way of life to help live a healthier, greener life; but I know there is ALWAYS more that can be done. If you’re looking to make a few alterations, here are a few example of some of the adjustments we’ve made:

– Donating or selling household items and toys in good condition that are just simply not used anymore. Usually I try to give/sell items where i know they will be used. I try to avoid using the charity bins if I can find someone else to use the item as I’m a little doubtful that everything going in those bins is reused.

– Buying items secondhand for the boys bday/chrissy presents or any clothing requirements.

– Clothes sharing for the boys with my beautiful sister in law’s family (they also have two young boys). Most clothes Giggles Magoo has worn across his nearly 4 years are now onto their fourth and fifth wearer.

– Buying wooden toys where possible. In saying that, there are some awesome brands that use recycled plastics to make trucks etc.

– Meal planning each week; this is effective two fold as we only buy what we need (budgeting purposes) and we only buy what we need (waste purposes). My next goal is to take containers to the butcher to take the meat home.

– Buying Australian Made, Australian owned,  Australian produce wherever possible. This is sometimes much pricier, but there are so many reasons to compensate for that (I’m also acutely aware that not everyone can afford this option).

– Using leftover/veggie off-cuts to make stock. So unbelievable easy – check out my good friends blog post on it here (point 5 in the post). The Krooked Spoon blog has been an inspiration for me for a while.

– Composting food (we have a hot compost and a cold compost) and use it in our attempts to not kill a small selection of herbs and veggies.

– Using our glass keep cups to fuel our coffee addiction. If we don’t have them on us when the caffeine urge hits then making the time to sit and drink the coffee in shop to avoid an awful take away cup.

– Buying fruit and veg from our local store or farmers markets and where possible not buying anything that’s packaged. For example, we eat A LOT of apples. Like I buy 12-14 a week a lot-of-apples (usually still isn’t enough) and instead of putting them in the convenient plastic bag, they go straight into the basket. Sure, it’s slightly painful at the checkout having to pick out each apple (mostly the sigh from the staffer who has to weigh them is the most painful part), but I’ve realised i don’t actually need the bag…the convenience of modern day shopping tells me I do.  It means there is one less plastic bag in circulation, and while i know that doesn’t achieve too much, it’s more about changing the habit and reducing the amount of plastic we “need”.

– If it’s possible, walking/riding/using public transport to get places. Our household has two cars, and for good reason. But, if it’s possible/not crazy, we’ll look at not using them to get somewhere (although this sometimes fails as on occasions, both cars get used to get us to the same destination).

– Recycling and using councils guidelines to choose what goes in the recycling bin.

Anyway, the whole point of this posting was to express to the world… I’m a hippy; and proud!  There are so many ways Theverymoodyhousehold can reduce consumption of commercialism. While all of these are only small changes, I’m hoping our habits will be changed on a long-term basis and help shape the daily consumption habits of the boys.

I’d love to hear any hot tips you have on reducing your waste or improving your ‘green’ lifestyle. Or, for laughs,  check out The Katering Show.

Happy Wednesday – it’s been a great day to dry the nappies so I’m one happy mumma xx

I’ve never taken exception to Mondays. I remember back in the school days, Mondays were always great. I’d spend the day reminiscing the weekend fun times, planning the next one and just generally not doing school things (I don’t know if that’s actually how it panned out, but that’s the way I remember it).

Since becoming a creator of children, I’ve been lucky enough to work part time, and even luckier to work each Monday. I feel a great sense of achievement most Mondays; goodness knows why, as that statement seems to be in complete contrast to my earlier comments about not getting anything done on a Monday at school. I just seem to own Mondays now – office work efficient; commute time for reads/music; house is in order as there’s been no one in it all day; weekend activities are still fresh enough to remember the happiness. It’s a pretty good way to start the week.

Today was no different; in fact,  since returning to work after maternity leave for Little Mate,  I generally look forward to Mondays. (Yep. Re-read that sentence… weird I know).

The reality of working an office job can be rather dull, but it is always underpinned by the dozen or so lovely people I work with. The coffee break is my favourite time of day. Not for the coffee itself (we have a cafe in our building, which is great on rainy days as there is no need to battle an umbrella and a giant coffee order, but the coffee is really rather uninspiring), but talking to each of my colleagues while we sip on incredibly average coffee. I relish their stories, smiles and experiences; usually so very different to my own. Their tales remind that the disconnect parents of young children invariably feel is only for a relatively brief period; that one day I will be up to date on something that doesn’t relate to the Octonauts or Star Wars.

I love going into the office to share my experiences with these beautiful people who seem to take joy in what Giggles Magoo and Little Mate have been up to.  Today i was able to regale them with tales of birthday parties; park play and boys doing boy things :

(What you can’t see is Little Mate sitting inside the red scoop. He loved getting in those things)

Please don’t get me wrong, when I’m in the office I work very hard. I suppose I feel rather lucky to have found a work place that cares about me and my family… that, and the fact that someone outside of my immediate family will listen to me. It is empowering; connecting; satisfying. Most importantly they seem to help make up for the fact that I leave the ones I love the most.

Anyways, I’m off to read and listen to some music.

Happy Monday x

Thank you for your support Rob Thomas and Matchbox20 (please do not be under any impression that I in any way like the aforementioned band…the pop culture reference just pretty much sums up how I feel my day has panned out).  I feel like without that song lyric to refer to,  I may very well have lost my shit this afternoon.

Let’s be honest, today was in no way shape or form a disaster. Let’s quickly do a head count – yep, all 4 of us are accounted for, not in hospital; we’re clean, safe, fed and (probably most importantly) loved.

It was just one of those days where my expectations were so far removed from reality; I wasn’t at work as Little Mate is sick. With painful, ear infections. Why the hell did i think I would be able to perform domestic duties, reorganise the toys and cook multiple dinners, all the while giving Little Mate all the love he needs?? (Wow, who could ever possibly achieve all  that?!) Today was always going to be a replica of the last few…velcro bubba.
It all seems so obvious in hindsight.

I want to be honest with what I write here as I am conscious that it is all too easy to only present a certain perspective of our/my life. In saying that,  I don’t think there will be too much doom and gloom, as, while we’re being honest; I’m pretty happy with my awesome life. There are some days that don’t feel awesome; some moments within the day where I find myself distracted when only a little focus is needed; unable to find the motivation to do what needs to be done.

I had to collect Giggles Magoo from day care today. The universe got me to arrive at the right time – the time where people that make me laugh were everywhere. Giggles rode his bike home while I (frantically) pushed Little Mate in the pram, watching the sun set. Even on a tough day,  there are still some simply beautiful occurrences. I just needed a little reminder to keep an eye out.

The sun will rise tomorrow; the antibiotics will kick in; the boys will be their heart-warming selves; I’ll feel just the right level of frazzled and then I’ll remember that this is what life is. A series of fleeting emotions and moments that fuel our existence. And I love it.

I wonder if I’ll put that much thought into my weekly meal planning?

Two things:
1. Eight years is a good amount of time.
2. A little bit of random Google research can prove to be an amazing thing. 

In eight years,  you can achieve this (plastic surgery to exactly replicate your Chinese acting/fashion diva idol… so awesomely random, thank you internet).

Or, in 8 years you can achieve amazing things (I suppose completely altering your facial features could be considered amazing) – this was me exactly 8 years ago, give or take a few hours:

I’d like to think that in eight years we have already achieved great things, and I’m looking forward to everything else that we’ll ace together. Like, maybe we should pinpoint a celebrity couple and start to replicate their looks?

Wishing you a very beautiful anniversary Grimace, you really are my everything. My Danny to Sandy; my Captain von Trapp to Maria; my Mr Darcy to Elizabeth Bennet; my A.J to Corey (probably minus the drug habit).

As we both have a love of music, I thought it somewhat relevant to share our music theme from that day 8 years ago: 

– You’re my best friend,  Queen
– Best of love,  Ocean 11
– Forever; Dropkick Murphys

Still all as relevant as ever xx

As per my previous post, I spent two glorious nights in a food/wine/cheese/bush/friend vortex in Leura (Blue Mountains,  NSW). And,  it was obviously sublime.

I don’t want to make you too jealous, so I’ll just summarise the two days for you:
– long, lazy brunches (complete with a loooong wait for food, where normally I’d be pretty annoyed, however as there were no children waiting/fidgeting with us I didn’t have a care in the world)
– slowly meandering through the village shops
– invigorating bushwalks with some glorious vistas
– delicious, slow paced dinners
– wine
– long, uninterrupted chats; exploring each of our worlds.

Actually, here are some pics courtesy of my beautiful friend Lauren just to make you jealous afterall…

Needless to say, I was very relaxed on Sunday when Grimace brought the boys along to pick me up.

This was the first time I’d been away for a significant time from Little Mate, and his cuddles were heart warming and a squeezing reminder to never leave him again. He is still running this theory, and has somehow convinced his body to play along – high temps and a barking cough have meant that my Monday was not filled with office work,  but rather Little Mate and his Never-leave-mumma-again theory. And it’s rather nice:

The cuddles with Little Mate have given me ample opportunity to reflect on the events of the last few days, and the perspective time away from the fam bam provides. I consider myself really blessed (cannot brainstorm a better word here) with my friendship circle and this time only reinforced those feelings. Life always throws a few stressful moments, but this weekend has helped to push them faraway.

The photo of the cup of tea is significant too – on the aforementioned weekend away, it was discovered that one of the girls drinks a lot of tea. Our discussions have reminded me about my love of tea and how recently I seem to have replaced tea with coffee. I’ve decided that for no particular reason, a personal challenge will be to drop my afternoon coffee and replace it with a tea. Replacing one caffeine beverage with another sounds challenging I know (haha, when will they invent that font for sarcasm), so I’ll be looking at you to drink one with me, just to keep me honest.

Anyways,  happy Monday!  This mumma is very happy to be home.

Hells yes to this weekend. I’m staying in Leura with some of my bestest and most beautiful friends.

I don’t think I can communicate clearly enough how ecstatic I am that this weekend has arrived.  So let’s be clear:

I’m staying in Leura with some of my bestest and most beautiful friends; sans children.

I’m staying in Leura with some of my bestest and most beautiful friends; sans children; with all the wine and cheese.

I’m staying in Leura with some of my bestest and most beautiful friends; sans children; with all the wine and cheese; with no plans.

It’s a dream come true. Then I find this hanging prominently in the house we’ve rented.

Oh yes, and this is just down the street:

I think I’m going to rock this weekend

Xx

Wednesdays are our family day. Grimace works each Saturday, so it is really nice to have a mid-week break from the chaos a work day seems to create. We sometimes do something fun, or sometimes do nothing at all; but we always try to make sure whatever it is we do gives maximum family time. There is ALWAYS coffee (and plenty of it).

Today I woke with the sun, which was nice – breathing in the new day with no where to be, and no other soul moving in the house. I was feeling refreshed after a pretty stressful start to the week thanks to a 4 hour commute home on Monday. We hadn’t yet formed a plan for the day, but after a recent visit to a local lookout, and the feeling that I needed to re-engage with the outdoor world, I was feeling inspired to challenge Giggles-Magoo’s bushwalking ability.

When the inevitable chaos that two kids awake creates rained down on the house (and thus instantly reintroducing that frazzled feeling), we wolfed down some breakfast, did a few chores and then hit the road to Martin’s Lookout, to do the short bushwalk (approx. 1.2km return), down to Glenbrook Creek. Wowsers, it is a S T E E P descent/climb out; so although only a short walk distance wise, it is really challenging. Both Grimace and  I had spent a lot of our youth using this area of bush – think camping trips and other adventures, so we were both really excited about getting both the boys introduced to the walk.

It started off well, but when Giggles Magoo realised he wasn’t going to hitch a ride with mumma or daddo, he was not impressed. Similarly, Little Mate hadn’t received the memo that his morning snooze was taking place in the Phil & Ted’s carrier and he was letting all the peace and quiet know about his displeasure. It was one of those “what the hell were we thinking” moments – but it didn’t take long for Giggles Magoo to find his stride and eventually (as they always do), Little Mate fell asleep.

Soon enough, with thighs burning, we reached the bottom of the descent and made our way to the sandy clearing for a splash in the clear and refreshing water (did I mention on this beautiful autumn day, it reached 35 degrees!!!). Spending about an hour down at Glenbrook Creek, we feasted on random-all-we-had-in-the-cupboard picnic foods and basked in the beauty of the Lost World cliffs over head.

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After Giggles Magoo learned how to take a picture (see below… it’s actually a really  nice pic), we decided to make the short, but hard walk back up.

Maybe we’d got lost in our happy place, focusing on absorbing the spirit of the outdoors rather than the time, because, oh boy, did we get the leaving time way too late. There were tired tears galore, and as any parent knows – tired tears are not what you want when you’re needing to haul arse up a gigantic mountain-side. After a few stern words to both extremely tired boys, we were on the way, me & Little Mate slightly ahead.

I was extremely surprised how easy I found it to get back to the top carrying Little Mate. While I was waiting for Grimace to carry Giggles Magoo to the top (he didn’t have to, the legend walked all the way himself…not bad for a three-nearly 4 year old), I met two guys at Martin’s Lookout who had last been to the spot 30 years ago. They too had grown up close by, but had left the Mountains to pursue their lives. It was really nice having the chat, and quite comforting to know that in the many years that have passed, Martin’s Lookout is  still just as spectacular and provides a sense of home/self. After the chat, I can’t wait to take the boys over to Lost World just so they can one day experience the same sort of reminiscing.

Before I sign off for the night; if you’re interested in doing the walk (you should; its spectacular and it seems hardly anyone uses the walk anymore), CLICK HERE for the walk guide, courtesy of the Wild Walks website.

Another excellent and memory-making Wednesday under the belt of #theverymoodyhousehold. I can go to work tomorrow feeling like I’ve done something good for my soul, and the souls of the three I love the most.

Night night